API overview

The BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management API empowers you to manage your cloud environment programatically. Many resources that are typically managed by administrators are also accessible through the API. You can use the API to enhance your BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management implementation in the following ways:

• Customize BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management to fit the needs of your organization.
• Extend the capabilities of BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.
• Automate repetitive processes.
• Create your own portal into BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.

The API is a RESTful web service; that is, it conforms to the architectural principles of Representational State Transfer (REST). Its RESTful architecture features a straightforward, easy-to-use interface facilitated by standard HTTP request and response messages that carry JSON-format payloads.

The API is based on an object-oriented cloud model. The model defines a robust set of classes that capture the attributes, relationships, and operations of cloud objects. Using these elements, you can create, inspect, modify, and delete cloud objects. Attributes provide state and descriptive information about cloud objects, relationships provide a powerful road map into the cloud, and operations enable you to manipulate cloud resources.

Each API is called by issuing a standard HTTP request method: GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE. You can create new cloud objects by issuing POST requests to a URI that specifies the type of object to create. You can inspect the details of an individual cloud object by issuing GET or POST requests to retrieve the object's attributes and relationships. Similarly, you can issue POST or PUT requests to modify a cloud object. When a cloud object is no longer needed, you can issue a DELETE request to remove the object.

The BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management API is composed of several APIs:

• The Cloud API enables you to develop a custom user interface or portal and integrate with existing enterprise or network management systems.
• The Provider API enables you to integrate third-party enterprise and network management systems, onboard infrastructure resources, and customize BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.
• The Callout API enables you to enhance the provisioning flow and integrate third-party providers into BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.

The following diagrams show how the component APIs interface with other facets of the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management solution.

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management ecosystem

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management architecture